Lucid Dreams
by Tainted Tuesday
Summary: Technology malfunctioned on me again, sending me back in time, and now I'm hearing voices. First-aid won't fix this. Altair/OC, AltairxOC, AU. HIATUS.
1. I Hate Ports

Welcome my lovelies, TT here. This is an AltairxOC story in a slightly alternate universe, but not really.

Definition

Lucid Dreams: Being in a dream but knowing that it is a dream and being able to control the dream to a certain degree.

**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own Altair… or Malik… not even Kadar. Or anything from Assassin's Creed. Ubisoft does.

**Claimer:** I do however own this story and ideas and characters and whatnot. I also own that run-on sentence.

Yeah. **And just a note, things really start in chapter 5, the first four are more or less introductory chapters with important background information.**

-fist pump-

Let the story begin.

**Chapter 1**

**I Hate Ports**

"I hate fish."

My brother ignored me as he kept staring at an orange fish.

Children.

The fish stared at him and he stared back at the fish. It was amusing at first, but quickly became boring. However, my little brother's undivided attention was in the grasp of the orange one. The fish imitated whatever he did and he had been making faces at it for a good five minutes. Five minutes was too long.

"Are you done yet?" I drawled out.

"Hold on, Dani," he whined. "I just want to see if this fish will go away."

"It's already gone," I pointed out. The fish had left when he turned around to talk to me. The look on his face when he saw that the fish had left was worth it though. "Didn't you want to go see the sharks next?"

His eyes lit up again and he nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Why didn't you remind me? Let's go!" I was then dutifully dragged away by an eight year-old through throngs of people. We quickly reached an intersection with signs directing us to different tanks.

"The shark tanks are to the right, but the gator pit is to the left. Which one do you want to go to first?"

Liam's facial went all serious and he rested his chin on a first as he thought deeply. Or as deeply as an eight-year-old could. At least he looked like he was seriously contemplating it. My little brother loved marine predators. Like, really, really loved them. For every birthday he's ask for something like a shark-tooth necklace, scuba-diving equipment, or piranhas.

Our parents got him a piranha tank the week after.

I checked my watch: 3:44 PM.

I sighed, already exhausted. The aquarium closes at 9:00 PM and we had to be home by 8:00 PM. Judging by the way things were going now there was at least three more hours to go.

"Have you decided yet?" I asked impatiently.

"Wait!" He did a double-take. "Which way are the food courts?"

"To the left."

"Then let's go see the sharks first! After that, we'll go to the alligators and get a bite to eat."

I looked at him in slight surprise. The kid had actually come up with a mildly intelligent plan. _Why didn't I think of that?_ "Hey, slow down."

He had rushed off, and in his haste he had bumped into many people. But being so little they just let him pass. He _did_ say sorry and excuse me. "You're just too slow!"

I half jogged after him and narrowly missed the same people he bumped into. "Liam, where are you?" The sharks got a special place of their own. Normally the tanks were separated like classrooms; one walkway and tanks on either side with separators in between to exhibit different fish. But the sharks had a gigantic tank and a semi-circle viewing platform. I found Liam grinning from ear to ear at a great white.

"Isn't it cool?" he whispered.

"I guess…" I replied lamely. "They'd be cooler if I weren't allergic to them."

He just shrugged. "Maybe God just doesn't like you."

I raised an eyebrow. "So he made me allergic to fish?"

"Duh! Since fish are the most awesome animals on the planet, anyone who's allergic must be cursed," he explained.

_I love eight-year-old logic._

No, really, I do. Because when he grows up and matures, I'll have plenty of blackmail in my arsenal. But then again, a twenty-seven-year-old blackmailing an eighteen-year-old is kind of weird. And pathetic.

"Look! Look!"

I looked.

"It's opening its jaws!"

I stared. And stared. Then turned away. Only three more hours of this. Endure it.

The next two hours passed by with even less excitement on my part. Liam was exploding with it though, so I guess it was all worth it. He had just gotten out of the hospital after being hit by a careless motorcyclist, and the first thing he wanted to do was go visit the newly opened aquarium. It was no surprise and my parents had already bought tickets beforehand. Unfortunately, they both have work today, and today was the last day before school resumed, so I volunteered to take him.

We had just finished eating and Liam wanted to go on one of the aquarium's rides. Yeah, this place is huge. It was above ground and was a mini-rollercoaster. Sea-dragon themed.

To summarize it, the line was long, the wait was painful, but the ride was the highlight of my day. Liam had a grin on the whole ride whilst other kids screamed and cried. I myself had a silly smile plastered on my face.

"Where to next?" I shoved my hands in my jacket pockets as a breeze swept by. It was getting chilly out, I noted. I looked over to Liam for his decision and saw that he shivered slightly. Maybe it was time to go home.

"I-I think we covered the whole park…" he ground out.

"Alright kiddo, you're freezing. Time to go home," I grabbed his hand and began leading us to the parking lot.

"But Dani," he whined.

"_But Dani,"_ I imitated him.

He glared at me and I stuck my tongue at him. _I certainly showed him who's boss._ I chuckled mentally.

"We haven't bought any souvenirs yet." To show his defiance, he stopped walking and began trying to pull me back to the plaza. "Please, I wanna get something!"

"Alright, alright." I took off my jacket. "But wear this. Mom and dad would kill me if I let you catch a cold."

He gave it a stern look and wrinkled his nose. "It's so girly though. I'm a man; I can't be seen wearing… _that_."

"It's not girly," I held up the jacket and gave it an once-over. Light beige, no flowers, words or symbols. "Just because it's not a sports jacket doesn't make it girly. Now come on, put it on."

He groaned like the heaviest weight was bestowed upon him and grudgingly put it on.

"Oh stop whining, you'll thank me when you don't get sick."

"_You'll thank me when you don't get sick,_" he imitated me in a high-pitched voice.

"Let's get this over with," I took his hand again and went off in the general direction of the souvenir stores.

Liam scanned the entire store when we got there and he almost ran over to a treasure chest. With an innate curiosity, he peered in and I guess what he saw was pretty impressive because his mouth made an O shape.

"What, did you find the lost city of Atlantis or something?" I asked sarcastically.

"Dani, look!" He pointed at something in the chest and I strode over to take a look. It was a jagged golden piece of plastic. "What do you think it is?"

I pretended to be interested. "Oh my. How extraordinary! I've never seen anything like it. Now, if my hunch is correct, this could belong to a very old…"

He stared at me wide-eyed, waiting for me to finish.

"…and very large…"

He nodded for me to go on.

"…piece of plastic."

His face dropped and he glared at me once again. "No! Seriously, what do you think it is?"

"I just told you; a piece of plastic. This whole thing is plastic."

He pouted and looked at the chest, then at me, then at the chest again. "What do you know anyway? I want it!"

"Can't you pick something cheaper?" I held the price tag up for him to see. The giant piece of plastic was $45, plus tax. "My wallet has suffered enough today."

"Nooo! No, it hasn't! If you buy me this I promise not to bother you for a whole week!" he pleaded with big round eyes. I had been exposed to them since the day he learned to beg, which was four years ago, and I was well immune to it at this point. But still… the offer of not being bothered for a whole week was tempting.

I weighed my options.

If I didn't buy it for him, he'd probably tell mom and dad that the trip wasn't too great since he couldn't even have one lousy souvenir. Then I'd get scolded. He'd also be twice as annoying for the entire month, and the first month of school was always awkward, even if you went to the same high school since grade nine.

On the other hand, if I did get him the plastic, he'd be distracted by it for about two weeks, and my parents would be pleased as well. Yes, my wallet would suffer another blow, but if it meant I couldn't buy that laptop I wanted until my next pay check, then so be it.

"Fine, let's just get this and go…"

He did a fist pump in triumph and I had to roll my eyes.

The chest was a lot heavier than it looked, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. It was a good thing I had a job as a waitress; washing dishes and carrying food helped me strengthen my arms a bit.

Since I had my arms full, I couldn't hold onto Liam's hand so I told him to walk in front of me so I could keep an eye on him. I had to admit, even though he was a pain most of the time, I'd rather have him out of the hospital and be annoying than to see him scared and dejected.

"Liam, get the car keys from my jacket and open the doors."

He began digging around but to no avail. "Are you sure they're in your jacket?"

"Uh…" I started. "Check the keys hooked onto my belt. The one with the giant black plastic thing attached to it is the car key."

I turned my side to him and he fumbled around the multitude of keys before grabbing the right one. "This one?"

"Yeah. Just take the whole ring off and—there you go."

He scrambled into the backseat and I set the chest down beside him. He immediately began taking out various pieces and examining them.

"Put on your seat belt and don't play with it until we get home. You might break something since part of the road is pretty bumpy."

He let out an exasperated sigh. "Why can't they fix the roads faster? It's already September!"

I climbed into the driver's seat and turned on the ignition. "We can only work so fast since we're only human."

He grumbled out something that I didn't catch so I didn't say anything. The drive back was relatively quiet, minus the blasting radio.

* * *

It is now 10:30 PM, and I was surfing the internet when I heard a crash followed by a yell downstairs. Bracing myself for whatever my brother had broken, I quickly walked downstairs into the kitchen to find him standing over a bag of spilled milk.

He didn't say anything as he looked at me and made a gesture towards the milk.

"Should I even ask how you did this?"

"It wasn't my fault!" he retorted. "Freak accidents happen."

"Well, I wouldn't really call this a freak accident."

"Um…"

I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. "What else did you do?"

He poked his fingers together nervously. "I didn't really do anything else… but you know tomorrow we have school…"

"Go on."

"And I eat cereal in the morning…"

"Your point is…?"

"That was the last bag of milk."

I caught on to what he meant and gave him an unimpressed stare. "You want me to go out to buy milk at this time of night?"

"Eheheh…" he scratched at the back of his head. "Yeah…?"

"…Fine. But lock all the doors, don't answer the phone, and clean up this mess while you're at it."

"I'm way ahead of you." He ran over to the glass doors and locked them, then pulled the curtains shut.

"Alright, I'll be back soon…" I muttered and grabbed my jacket after checking my keys were present. My parents should have been home hours ago, but that was before my mom's car's right front tire popped, and she didn't have a spare. I offered to drive there with a spare but she wanted Liam and me to stay home. My dad was on his way over to deliver a spare, but she was in a towing zone and her car was towed away.

I closed the door quietly behind me and made sure it was properly locked. We lived in a residential part of town so it was relatively quiet during the night. No trucks, street cleaners or loud teenagers. Thank God. I was a light sleeper and that definitely would have kept me up.

Most shops were closed, as I expected. But bigger grocery stores should be opened 24/7. _Great, I hate driving at night_.

I was left with no choice though, so I sucked it up, got in the car and drove off to the nearest grocery store. Wal-Mart had everything and was my safest bet of being open, so I headed there. After paying for the milk, I decided to call my brother to check on him, but then remembered that I told him not pick up the phone. _Guess I'll just rush home_.

When I got back, I was surprised to find all the lights out and my brother sound asleep in bed. _I should sleep too…_

I closed the door behind me, careful not to make a sound. Just as the door clicked shut a pain shot through my arm. I flinched away from the door out of reflex and shook it for good measure. As quick and trifling as it was, it was still odd. But I paid no heed to it.

* * *

The next morning I woke up late. There was a power outage in the middle of the night and my alarm had been reset. Freaking wonderful…

I fumbled around trying to put on my clothes and comb my hair at the same time. The result was fine, but it would have been better if I didn't accidentally comb too hard and scratch my scalp. I took a cursory glance at the clock on my wall and saw it read 8:20. Good ol' AA battery clocks.

"Shiiit! Only ten minutes until class starts!" I groaned and started pacing the living room floor. "What the hell am I supposed to do?"

_Guess I'll have to sacrifice another $25…_

"I don't like this…" I grabbed my bag and headed out to the main street. "But what choice do I have? They're so much harsher on people late on the first day…"

I had considered driving, but I didn't want to risk going into traffic and my gas tank was almost empty. So that left me with only one choice: Teleportation pods. Those things were still kind of new, they were only introduced to North America two years ago from Germany in 2018. At first there were a few cases where people's body parts got rearranged the wrong way. Those all got sorted out in the end and no one died, but it still unnerved me. There hasn't been a malfunction for thirteen months. I'm still paranoid though.

"It can't be that bad, some people even enjoy it…" I stepped into the pod and inserted my debit card to pay the fee. These things were government run, and you could buy special membership cards that let you use the pods for an unlimited number of times for a monthly fee of $100. I gulped and selected my school from the touchscreen and hit enter.

**End of Chapter 1**

Things will pick up very soon, and I promise Altair to be in the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed it C:

Thank you for reading, and remember, reviews are loved; I enjoy reading people's opinions.

By the way, _ports_ is short for teleport.


	2. One, Two, Three Psychopaths

Hello again my lovelies. Thank you for the reviews, alerts and faves C: It makes me happy that I'm getting so much support so quickly.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Assassin's Creed in any way, shape, or form. Ubisoft does.

**Claimer:** I do however own everything else in this story.

**Chapter 2**

**One, Two, Three Psychopaths**

_This was a giant mistake, I can feel it!_ The ground beneath my feet began to shake, and lights inside the pod flashed dangerously. I felt like the victim in a sci-fi movie and held my bag to my chest for dear life. I heard that each person experiences a slightly different feeling when they use a port pod, but I don't think this is part of it. The shaking stilled and the lights stopped flashing. Okay, something was wrong. I knew the basic design of these things and they were supposed to take you apart and rebuild you somewhere else, but I had stayed intact the whole time. Maybe this pod was broken?

"That would explain the shaking and lights." I reached down to take my receipt, but to my surprise the screen read:

INSUFFICIENT FUNDS

PLEASE USE A DIFFERENT CARD

OR INSERT CASH

Ah, so that was it. I tried to find more money, but it was hopeless, I was out of money and already went over my credit limit from the trip to the aquarium. "I'm just going to have to suck it up and face the teacher's wrath."

Resigned to my fate, I pressed the green button to open the door and stepped out calmly. Then my heart stopped for a few seconds.

"Where the hell did all this greenery come from?" I muttered to myself. "Okay, I'll just port on collect and woah—" The pod was gone. Actually, there was no sign that it was ever there.

I stood there for quite some time. There were no forests where I lived, and chances were that I'd be eaten by a bear, a wolf, or some other carnivorous animal.

"I'll just… call dad," I said quietly to no one in particular. I took my phone out of my jean pockets and speed dialled my dad's cellphone number. Strangely enough, the line didn't just refuse to connect, but there was no signal. "But I have a satellite phone… I should get a signal even if I'm in the South Pole."

This was a bad time to panic, but panic is what people did in these situations. "And they usually die. Even though it only happens in movies, it feels very real right now." People also called out, "Hello?" and, "Is anyone here?" in movies. Consequently, that was also a one-way ticket to the afterlife. Then I realized that I wasn't in a movie and it was probably safe to call for help. So I did.

"Is anyone here?" I slung my bag onto my back and took a few cautious steps forward. "I'm sort of lost. The port pod failed on me."

Silence rang in the air and I frowned. I don't want to be an orphan. And I certainly don't want to live my life in the wilderness. The lack of computers, TVs, and wireless networks made me depressed. I don't care that my generation is wholly dependent on technology, I'm too used to it.

"You know, if you're there you can come out and say hi. I don't bite."

The bushes to my right rustled and I let out a breath of relief. Someone was here. Thank the lord. They could help me, granted they aren't a serial killer.

"Hey, can you help me? I'm very lost," I explained with a strained laugh. As soon as I reached the bushes however, a hand shot out and grabbed me by the throat. In a split second I was thrown to the ground with cold steel pressed against my jugular. At least I think it's my jugular. "Oh shit, I knew I'd run into a serial killer. Why'd I have to make noise…?"

The blade was pushed a bit further and I held my tongue. The figure hadn't sliced my throat yet, so that was a good thing. But maybe they were just waiting for me to let my guard down so they could knock me out and drag me to their torture chamber—I was overthinking things. Summing up what little courage I had, I looked at my attacker.

It was clearly a man, and his skin was tanned. That was all I could see because the next thing I knew, I was spun around and a heel dug into my back. My right arm was bent behind my back at an almost excruciating angle and I had to bite the inside of my cheeks to stop myself from screaming. What I assumed to be a knife was pressed to the back of my neck.

"Do not move or make a sound," he hissed in my ear. "When I let you go, you will state your business and answer all my questions or I will have your life. Understood?"

I nodded numbly and the blade was removed. Now that I got a longer look, I was convinced he was a serial killer. _Who the hell wears that? He's definitely not from around here. Should I try to run? I could probably outrun him, but I don't know where to go and he might know the area like the back of his hand._ I decided to wait and see what happens, it just felt safer. "I'm here by accident."

"Who are you and where are you from?" he said it with an authority that I only heard from super-strict teachers and football coaches, but in my current situation, I had little choice but to obey.

"My name is Danielle a-and I'm from Canada."

"Where?"

Figures, no one remembered Canada. Everyone knew the United States but that landmass above it? Never heard of it. I sighed, "Canada? You know, that giant piece of land above the United States? Ring a bell?"

He glared at me and I stared back at him. Did I do something wrong? "You will not use that tone of voice when speaking to a man. Do not try to lie to me. I have never heard of a country named Canada or United States. Now tell me the truth, girl." I found my collar snatched up and the blade resuming its place at the base of my throat. As frightening as this was, it was getting old fast.

…

There's a weird thought.

"I _am_ telling the truth! I live in Canada and I was on my way to school when the port malfunctioned and sent me here!"

He obviously didn't believe me and I felt a trickle of blood roll down my collarbone. He cut me. I was really going to die, and my body may never be found. _I don't want to be eaten by insects, I want to be cremated!_

"Then explain what a port is, and be quick."

I ignored the fact that this guy probably grew up in a cave since ports were used all over the planet and tried to come up with a sufficient explanation. "They're these pods in oval shapes that disassemble you into tiny pieces and rebuild you somewhere else. So you could cross long distances in seconds."

"Impossible!" he roared in my ear, making me temporarily deaf. "This port you speak of, it is nothing but talk of sorcery. Be quick, girl, you are losing my patience. Now, how did you get here?"

I forgot my place for a second and threw my hands up in exasperation. "Through the damn pod! I don't care if you don't believe me. What kind of serial killer are you anyway? Were you brought up in cave? You don't even know what a pod is! It's 2020 for god's sake. Hellooo? Technology? Remember now?"

The next events happened too quickly for me to fully comprehend until he had left. My shirt was dyed in red in my stomach area, and I was on my knees. My shoulders felt heavy, and I shrugged off my bag with what little strength I had left. I was in a state of pain and bliss, floating in and out of consciousness. Did I really just get stabbed? Am I really going to die? _I'm too young to die…_ I was about to press my hands to the wound, just to make sure it was there. But I stopped, suddenly remembering something.

_My first-aid kit._

It was a long shot, and I would need much more than a few rolls of bandages to survive a wound this deep. My friends frequently got into fights, and since my mom was a nurse I had learned the basics from her. It was easy for me to patch them up so they wouldn't get infections or have to explain to the school nurse how they sustained those injuries. Granted, sometimes it was beyond my ability to help them and they still got in trouble, but for the most part they had adopted the title of being most clumsy and bluffed the injuries off as accidents.

I pulled up my shirt and tank top and surveyed the wound. It was narrow but deep, and blood was flowing out steadily. First, I had to disinfect it and stop the bleeding. _But which first? I can barely think._ In the end, I went with stopping the bleeding first. I wouldn't be able to disinfect it if I passed out of lack of blood. I took deep breaths and tried to calm my nerves while reaching for the metal kit crushed at the bottom of my bag. It was a bit of a struggle, but I managed to get it out.

To my dismay, I only had small cotton balls for disinfection, antiseptic, ace bandages, Band-Aids, adhesive tape, instant cold packs, latex gloves, and a few other utensils—but no gauze pads. _So now I have to choose between my stomach and my neck? How brilliant… In any case, the neck wound is still only a small and shallow cut; it should form a scab soon._ My only choice being to disinfect the stab wound, I took the bottle with shaking hands and blindly grabbed for a handful of cotton balls and soaked them in the alcohol. I don't have a high resistance to pain, but it was better than most people's. I braced myself and dabbed the wound lightly. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt. _The adrenaline must still be in my veins. I'll feel it sooner or later._

It was true; a few minutes later, the searing pain began making its way quickly through the stab wound and spread throughout my body. I stopped for the nth time mid-bandaging and hung my head whilst grinding my teeth together in an attempt to not scream from the pain. I paused for longer than needed, but could you blame me? The man who stabbed me had returned with two other men. They were all dressed in a similar fashion, each with white clothing and hoods, which effectively shadowed their faces.

"You should not have acted so rashly, Kadar," one of them spoke.

"But Malik, look at her—" he raised his hand to point at me, but stopped mid finger gesture. "How is she still alive? I made sure the wound was fatal!"

I tore my gaze away from the trio and continued bandaging my torso. A strange calm had washed over me when I saw them approaching. If I were to die, then screaming, crying or begging would do me no good. I couldn't cheat death.

"Her clothes are suspicious, but I doubt she is a spy. Not even the Templars are stupid enough to send someone dressed as outlandishly as her."

_Templars? Eh, whatever. Not my problem. Just ignore them till they talk to you._

I patted the bandaging to make sure it was thick enough and winced when the shockwave travelled all the way to my toes. I pulled down my tank top and shirt and reached for the bottle cap that sat atop the kit. Even though I was didn't acknowledge their presence, we all knew that I knew that they were there. Perhaps they were waiting for me to make the first move? Well, whatever it was, I certainly can't run away from it. _I always knew ports would be the death of me_.

"You said she claims to be from the year 2020?" the third of them spoke. "It is more than likely that she is simply delusional. However, that also means she could jeopardize our mission." The last part was said in a whisper, but I still heard him. My hearing being enhanced by my awesome near-sightedness, their whole conversation was loud and clear.

"What shall we do with her?" I peeked sideways at them and saw them standing further away. "We can't just have someone like her running around, it would cause public unrest."

"Then there's only one thing left to do."

"Altair, if you are suggesting that we kill her—"

And although I was still enveloped in the strange calm, their words made my blood run cold. If they were going to kill me, then I wouldn't make it easy for them. No, I couldn't cheat death, but I sure as hell could cheat three psychopaths.

As discreetly as I could, I started to pack away my things all the while still eavesdropping on their conversation.

"You said it yourself, Malik," he countered. "She would bring nothing but trouble. As far as I'm concerned, we're doing a favour for the people."

"Have you forgotten the first tenant?" the one I assumed to be Malik, hissed. "Never harm an innocent. Kadar has already stabbed her, and now you want to kill her? She may become a public nuisance but she has done nothing wrong and so it is not our place to take her life."

_Nicely said, Malik. Don't let them kill me. I have so much to offer…like, uh…maybe not now, but sooner or later I would have done something with my life_.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"…"

"Then it's settled."

The calm that had settled over me was gone, and I was on full panic alert. I clutched my bag in front of me in an attempt to block any further stomach stabbings. "Let's not be hasty now. No one needs to die—AH!" I ducked as he swung a sword at my head, most likely to decapitate me.

"Stay still if you do not wish for a painful death, girl. I'm trying to make this hurt as little as possible for you," he said as if he actually believed he was doing me a favour.

"Altair, stop! Let's bring her back with us."

Apparently that was an absurd idea, because my attacker froze at his words and spun around to argue with his companion. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Be rational, Altair. Doesn't this girl intrigue you? Her clothing does not fit into any descriptions of distant travelers, she does not hesitate to talk back to a man, and she is clearly not of our people or European descent."

In the time he said that, I had ran and hidden behind a tree. If possible, I would have liked to climb the tree, but as reality had it, that was impossible for me without an escalator.

I pressed my back against the tree and slid down to the leaf covered ground. It was either dawn or dusk here, I noted. What time was it back home? To my relief, my watch was still working and the LED letters showed 8:44:21 and counting. So much had happened in such a short span of time.

I didn't notice their arguing or the footsteps approaching me. All my energy was focused on healing and trying to stay awake. When the figure crouched down in front of me, all I could manage was a weak glare. _If only I could lift my hands or feet…. I would punch him, just once would be satisfactory._

He grunted and stood up. "She's still alive. _Damn it_."

I laughed, but it came out as a wheeze. Wow, I've never been so hated in my life. And while it was flattering, I still prefer to be nobody than somebody.

"Kadar, you will watch over her," I heard my attacker—otherwise known as Altair—say. There was protest at having to be my babysitter, and whatever they chose I would have no choice but to follow because blackness began to speckle my vision. Within seconds, my vision turned black completely, but I could still hear and feel everything. This was bad on two accounts: one, they might think I died and leave me here, which could mean me getting eaten by a wild animal: two, because they might kill me themselves.

"She blacked out," a voice stated nonchalantly. It wasn't too familiar, so was it the Kadar person then?

"We're not too far from Masyaf, we can make it back before nightfall."

"Have you gone insane, Malik?" There was a pause, then a thud. "I am your superior and I say we kill her, bury her and just get on with our mission."

"Don't be stupid Altair, you can't tell me you haven't felt it either. I can't explain it but killing her is not the right thing to do."

"May I say something?"

There was some shuffling. Of what, I don't know.

"What is it, Kadar?"

"One of us could stay behind and wait till she wakes up and give her directions to Masyaf. She should be safe until we get back, and then we could take her back to the Master. Or she could just go by herself, but I think she has a higher chance of survival if one of us escorted her."

_That's funny coming from the person who stabbed me first_.

"Fine. Do what you want. I'm going on ahead."

There was more shuffling of feet, and I assumed that that one of them upped and left.

"Kadar, you go with Altair and make sure he does not do something stupid or try to start the mission without me. I have a feeling something bad will happen if he does."

"I understand. Safety and peace, brother."

"Safety and peace to you as well."

_More shuffling…. What's a girl got to do to get some peace and quiet?_

I struggled to open my eyes, but when I did, I wish I hadn't. I couldn't see anything. My vision was still blackened. I began to panic once again. Normally I would've tried to process possible causes, but the only thing I could think of right now was that my prolonged exposure to computer and TV screens finally blinded me.

"Are you awake now?"

I didn't reply. There was no time for that, I had to figure out if this was permanent or not. I fumbled blindly and in this mess I clutched what felt to be someone else's hand. That made me withdraw my arm instinctively and shift backwards. What I didn't remember was that I was already leaning against a tree and whacked the back of my head against said tree.

"Please calm down, I won't hurt you."

I felt tears forming and blinked several times until they evaporated or whatever. Now I was focusing on the pain on my head and possible bump.

When I bent my head over and wrapped myself in my arms, I felt a light touch on my head. This time I didn't flinch away, seeing as there was nowhere to go, me being temporarily blind and all.

"I am only inspecting the damage." I nodded weakly and allowed him to continue. Out of all the impossible situations… "You did not hit your head too hard. There is no blood or signs of a bump. You are fine."

I sighed in relief and rubbed my head. Bump or not, this still made it feel better.

"Come now, I will take you to someone who may be able to help you."

Again, there was shuffling. I assumed he was leaving and tried to stand up. My knees didn't buckle like I expected them to, but the stab still had me gasping for breaths. I strained my ears to tell which direction he went and turned to my right.

After taking a few steps, I had to stop again. Forget this, I'm staying put. I wouldn't and couldn't walk for a long and lengthy journey back to someone who will probably decide to kill me. _I kind of wish they just killed me. Fast and painless is always better than slow and painful_.

A tap on my shoulder made me lift my head.

"You're going the wrong way. I don't recommend trying to run away."

I took a few deep breaths and readied myself for speaking. "I'm not ru-uhning awa-ugh… I c-can't see…"

"You seemed to see fine earlier when you dodged that sword."

I ignored his comment. I had to explain this quick. "Eve-nnthing's bl-ack!" I let the bag fall from my shoulders and dropped to my knees while holding my abdomen. If someone had set fire in the pits of my stomach, I felt it. I heard a surprised shout and a pair of hands tried to get me to sit up. But I was far too gone and only leaned forward more into the ground. My breathing became more laboured and fresh tears squeezed out between my eyelids.

"_Danielle?"_

_Who was that…? Why do they sound so familiar?_

"_Mom, Dani's not in her room."_

_My mom and little brother…_

"_That's strange. She didn't tell me she was going out today."_

"_Hey, mom, come look at this! I found this on her pillow! Dani left us a note."_

_What? No, I didn't!_

My vision began returning, but it wasn't my eyes I was looking through. I was back home, in my room, but at the same time I felt distant and detached, like I was just a spectator.

"Mom, I'm right here."

"_Oh my God…"_

She dropped to the floor with a hand over her mouth. What did the note say?

"Mom, don't believe that note! I've been kidnapped, but I swear I'll find a way back… please, don't cry," I pleaded.

But she couldn't hear me. Neither could my brother. My mom began to weep uncontrollably and my brother was crying through hiccups.

"_S-s-he's gone!"_

"_What's going on up here?"_

I turned around and saw my dad. Well, maybe saw wasn't the right word, because I was only a hair's width away from his neck. And he passed right through me.

"Dad, I'm here!"

"_It's Danielle, she's been kidnapped, and she might be dead!"_

"_What?"_

"_D-dad, what're we gonna do?"_

My dad ripped the note from my mom's hands and his eyes grew wild as he read it over and over.

"What does it say, dad? Tell me what it says!"

"Snap out of it!"

"What?" I shoved away from the source of whoever that was shouting in my ear and blinked as I surveyed my surroundings. Wait—what? My vision was back. I held up my hands and gave my palms a nice hard stare. Then I pinched the back of my hand and yelped.

"You were mumbling and twisting about madly," he looked at me with caution written all over his face. With his hood down.

I committed his face to memory, just in case.

"I was? Oh… uh, who are you again?" I whipped my head from side to side wildly, still not recovered from the shock of regaining my vision. When I saw my bag, I reached for it, but the angle had me irritating the wound again and I fell flat on my face. _Well that could've gone better. At least I can speak without sounding like a—_wait a minute. I pushed myself off the ground in sudden realization.

"I am Malik. And you are?"

"Danielle…" I said just above a whisper, still feeling kind of cheesed about the whole speech difficulty issue disappearing.

"I see. And you are sure that you are from the year 2020?"

"Yeah," I said in the same tone, albeit louder. "It's September 8th and the first day of school."

He seemed to want to ask more, but I was thankful that he had manners and stopped himself short. I wasn't in any condition for questions and answers. He knew this all too well and stood up again, but this time offered a hand to help me stand.

I took it gratefully and staggered out of the forest, trailing not too far behind him, but that was only because he was walking considerably slowly for me.

_Note to self, stick close to this guy. He's not insane_.

When we got to the road, and I kid you not, it was literally a dirt road, I felt my heart fall into my stomach, dissolve and move into my intestines all in four seconds. There was a horse. A horse. Waiting patiently. The question buzzed in my mind, and really, after all this, I think I deserve some answers myself.

"Excuse me, but could I ask you something?"

He turned around and replied, "Of course."

"What year is this?"

At that he simply said: "1192."

My jaw dropped slightly and I stared wide-eyed at him. He almost imitated my expression. Now I know how he felt. One of us was either crazy or neck deep in denial. I hoped he was just in denial. But the nagging feeling told me it was me.

"Oh… great… fabulous," I chuckled at my own dismay. "I always wanted to do time travelling…" O_nly not this far back in time_.

"Give me your sac, I will secure it." I handed him my bag without thinking and kept staring at the horse. I had never seen one in real life. And it was far more intimidating than I thought it would be. This thing could probably trample me without trying. Yes, that was plausible.

"Are we going to ride on that horse?" I asked meekly. And only after I asked did I realize how stupid my question was. Of course we weren't. That's why he was tied my bag to the horse.

At that he raised an eyebrow, but replied nonetheless. "Yes. We are. Now, you will sit in the front." He hoisted himself onto the horse without any problems, but I didn't move at all. "Well, come on."

"Um…" I looked up at him nervously. "What if I told you I don't know how to get up? Or ride a horse? Actually, this is my first time seeing a horse in person."

**End of Chapter 2**

Maybe Altair didn't exactly play the part you expected, but one of the things I value is try to keep things realistic.

Anyway, thank you for reading!

Also, I would like to know what you think of my take on the characters, especially Kadar. Since he's the youngest, I imagine he could also be impulsive. I hoped I kept in in character. Also, any opinions formed on Danielle?

Oh! And before I forget, none of my chapters get proofread or edited by anyone, so if you happen to catch a spelling or grammatical error, feel free to let me know.

Toodles, and until next time.


	3. Dive Into Insanity

How are you doing, my lovelies? Somewhere in a blog post of mine I said this was going to be much longer than chapter one and two. I miscalculated…?

It's funny. Normally I don't make it past chapter 2 for any fic, but I think Altair is special.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Assassin's Creed. At all. Not even .01% of it, Ubisoft owns all.

**Claimer:** I own everything else in here.

**Chapter 3**

**Dive Into Insanity**

"Grab the reins with your left hand and then put your left foot in the stirrup," Malik instructed.

I did as he said and tried to pull myself onto the horse but failed miserably. "Hold on, let me try again."

"You should grab the saddle or the horse's neck and try to put most of your weight on your left leg."

"Got it." I gripped the reins even harder and nearly dug my nails into the saddle and tried to lift my right leg over the back of the horse. I even felt my arms flex. _Hey, I have muscles? Cool_.

Then I lost concentration and fell backwards, hopping on one foot with my other foot still caught in the stirrup. "Oh crap!" I lost my footing and watched as Malik reach out but then stop because we both knew it was too late. Thus I found myself hanging upside down from my left ankle and half of my torso sprawled out on the dirt. Good thing I was wearing jeans.

"Damn it all…" I tried to twist my foot out of the stirrup and pull myself up into a sit-up position, but to no avail. The fact that I desperately needed to work out my abs and the bandaging didn't allow for much flexibility prevented me from going anywhere. I resigned to my fate and struggled to look at Malik. "Help…?"

He kept staring at me in mild alarm before cracking a smile, and soon enough he was laughing at me openly. I admit, I did feel a bit betrayed, but it wasn't long before I began laughing as well. _This _is_ kind of funny_. A few moments passed as our laughter died down and Malik climbed down the horse from the other side.

"I apologize for laughing at you, but you should have seen the look on your face," he said through stifled chuckles, working my ankle out of the tangled stirrup.

"Nah, it's fine, I would have laughed at me too." Just as the words left my mouth, I hit the ground with a thump as my ankle was released from the stranglehold. "Ouch."

"Are you alright?" Malik asked, most likely out of courtesy.

I had to return the gesture. "Yes, I'm fine. So…" I started. "How do I get up?"

"I will give you a boost," he said. "Put your left foot in the stirrup again, but this time put your right foot in my palms and I will push you up."

"Okay then. Let's do this!" Determined to get on the damn horse if it was the last thing I'd ever do, I did as he instructed and stuck my foot purposefully through the stirrup. He nodded at me and laced his fingers together with his palms facing upwards. "Sorry in advance if my shoes are dirty or I step too hard." With that, I stepped into his palms and on three—with the added strength of Malik, I managed to swing my leg over.

_Another note to self, Malik is freakishly strong. Do not get into disputes with him._

Malik got on behind me with no problems of course. He didn't say another word as he took the reins and we began to move. The sudden movement made me lurch forward slightly and I gripped the horse's neck, but not its mane. It was just a feeling, but something told me that pulling on its mane was a bad idea. _I wouldn't like to have my hair pulled, and I doubt the horse would either._

Now that I was out of danger's way, my body relaxed and my mind went back into normal mode. Taking in my surroundings, I realized that the 'forest' I was in was in fact a small area of trees. Most of the area was covered in dirt, sand, and rocks. Only a few trees dotted the landscape, but every now and then, I'd see something akin to the 'forest' I was in.

Minutes ticked by, but it seemed like forever. _I swear we I've been here before. Or is it because everything looks the same? Gah, I bet we haven't even travelled that far. Should I ask?_ I didn't ask right away, and instead waited another three or four minutes before giving in. "Uh, Malik, are we by any chance close to Misyaf or whatever?"

"It is pronounced Masyaf, and no we are not," he responded quickly. Anticipating my next question, he continued, "It will take about five to six hours if we go at this pace, and that's if we do not encounter any obstacles on our way—hold on, how do you know we are headed to Masyaf?"

He stopped the horse and I opened my mouth to tell him, but before I could, my ponytail was tugged back and I yelped as my scalp screamed at me. For the third or fourth time that day, a blade was at my throat. _Geez, where do these people keep their knives?_

"The only time we have spoken of Masyaf was when you were still unconscious," he spoke in a low and dangerous tone that sent chills down my spine.

"You might not believe me, but when I was seemingly out cold, I could still hear and feel everything around me, but it was like I wasn't in control of my body and I couldn't move or see anything." I breathed normally again as the blade was withdrawn from my neck. My relief was short-lived though as I felt the point resume its place at my lower back.

"That is not very convincing."

I raised my hands in the air and quickly blurted out, "I'm not lying, I swear! I heard you guys talk about how we weren't too far from Masyaf, then someone called you out on being insane, there was a pause then a thud—but I'm not sure what happened because I couldn't see anything. And uh, the same guy said that he was your superior and I should be killed, but you said killing me wasn't right and another person suggested waiting for me to wake up and getting me to Masyaf."

I stopped my panic-filled ranting when the blade was removed from my back as well. I could feel my heartbeat slow down considerably as I breathed normally again.

"You have a good memory," Malik commented. "As strange as your explanation for fainting, I do not have reason to believe or disbelieve it."

_I'll take that as an apology._

"Hey, don't worry about it," I said through an almost trembling voice. "We all jump the gun sometimes."

"We all what?" he asked, incredulous. I could only imagine the look on his face.

"Never mind," I replied quickly. "It's nothing, just a saying from my time for we all jump to conclusions."

"Well, as much as I'd like to disagree, you need your rest and arguing will not bode well for your wound," he said. "Get some sleep, if you can."

My body suddenly felt weary at his words. Only now did it become apparent how much energy I had actually expanded in under an hour. I wasn't in the brightest of moods, and my eyelids drooped. But still, I willed myself to stay awake. I was still in an unknown land, with a suspicious character, and riding with said suspicious character to an unknown city. "No thanks…" I almost yawned. "But if you don't mind, could we go a little faster?"

"And what do you suggest?" he asked, amusement clear in his voice. He didn't think I could take it.

_Truth be told, I probably can't. But I'd rather endure a faster but more painful route than a slow, boring one._

"That we go as fast as this horse can take us," I replied, full of confidence.

Malik dropped the amusement from his voice. "That is an unwise decision, seeing as your wound would re-open and you could bleed out before we reach Masyaf. Are you really willing to take the risk?"

His words weighed heavy on my mind, but I nodded nonetheless. I didn't say anything, but my wound was already re-opening. "Yes. I'll be fine. And if not, then I'll be out of your hair, right?" I said with a mirthless laugh.

I heard him sigh before consenting. "Just remember that you brought this upon yourself."

"Got it."

Still, he was kind enough to not jerk into a gallop and instead eased the horse to accelerate gradually. But as the pace became faster, my nerves were ready to kill me. I thought I could take the pain, but I was wrong. Within seconds, I lost all consciousness and slipped away from reality.

* * *

_Bump._

…

_Bump…_

What's going on? _Why can't I feel my legs…?_ My neck was killing me, and I was sweating. Was it always this hot? I lifted my head, trying to work out the stiffness when something behind me shifted. _That's right… the whole time travel deal and horse riding. Am I still on the horse?_

"Are you awake now?"

Malik's voice jogged my memory and I stepped into full consciousness. "Yeah," I yawned into my palm, then I noticed that I wasn't holding onto the horse anymore and leaned forward quickly to grab onto its neck. But something else bothered me. There was something around my waist. I looked down to see an arm. Not just an arm, but Malik's arm. Around my waist.

"Good. It was hard to manoeuvre with you asleep," he said. Then he moved his arm from my waist to grab hold of the reins with both hands. "Try to hold on, we're going to gallop again. And please, do not faint."

"Sorry 'bout that…" I held on as tightly as possible and in seconds the horse was in a gallop. "Okay, this isn't so b-ahhh-d!" We jumped over a fallen tree trunk since there wasn't a way around it. It seems that my wound had closed again in the time that I was unconscious. Now that I was awake for the ride, it was kind of exciting. The wind in my face, my hair being tossed backwards; it was tangible freedom.

It was funny. Before my wound was killing me, but now, I could barely feel it. I felt myself grinning in spite of the situation. I knew I would have little chance of survival once I reached Masyaf, but it was better than being left to die a lonely death in the wild.

But then something disturbing happened.

I lost my vision again.

And as I struggled to regain it, nothing worked. At the current time all I could do was shake my head madly and rub at my eyes. For the next few minutes I had to accept my condition. Strangely enough, with all my fidgeting, I had expected Malik to yell or scold me, but all was quiet.

_Ah, there we go,_ I thought in satisfaction. My vision was back. Maybe this was all just symptoms of a panic attack or something. _It'll probably go away after I get used to this place. Well, assuming I'll live for more than a few more days._

_Hey Malik, how long do you think it'll be until we reach Masyaf?_

…

_Malik?_

_MALIK!_

In frustration and confusion, I turned my head around to question why he was ignoring me. But all I saw was darkness. _Not again._ However, when I faced forward again, my vision of the road was back.

"Hey, Malik," I said. But it wasn't my voice. Well, it was, but I hadn't felt myself open my mouth. "How long do you think it'll be until we reach Masyaf?"

"An hour or two," he replied. "We were closer than I originally thought."

My head dipped forward and tilted back up again. I vaguely recognized the motion as nodding. So I was nodding. But I wasn't. _My_ head was still held up, but my body moved.

_Fuck my life…_

* * *

As the road became thicker and signs of life more constant, I vaguely saw that we were approaching a city, and what I guessed to be Masyaf.

"We're almost there," Malik informed me.

I gave him a nod in acknowledgement and hung my head in drowsiness. It had only been an hour since I woke, but it felt like two days. _On the bright side, I seem to have full control of my body again, although my eyes are nearly glued shut._

I tried to tell him that I was about to fall asleep on the spot when we stopped. I lifted my head and looked around. The outer city walls, by the looks of it.

Malik hopped off the horse with ease and extended a hand out when I glanced from side to side in mild confusion.

"Thank you," I mumbled, half-asleep. I staggered off of the saddle and landed on both feet, thankfully. My legs wobbled a bit but I managed to stay up right. Malik seemed kind of impressed that my knees didn't fold, and so did I.

"I promise you won't have to stay awake for much longer. Just fifteen more minutes and you can rest," he assured me.

"Alright, lead the way," I cracked a smile and gestured for him to walk in front.

Malik instructed me to stick close to him and to not respond to anyone that spoke to me. When I inquired him about it, he gave me a brief explanation on the status of women, and all my history lessons rushed back to me.

_Even though I don't appreciate being treated this way, looks like I have no choice if I want to live._

_'Don't let them walk all over you! Stand up and show them that girls are just as strong and capable.'_

My vision blurred, but not enough for me to lose sight of Malik. I picked up my pace and followed a tight two feet distance. The voice piqued my interest and I decided to see if it was still there.

_What am I doing? I'm probably going insane, that's what._

_'Perhaps, if that's what you want to call it.'_

_'Simone, stay out of this, okay? His life is mine.'_

_Are you talking about Malik?_ My eyes drifted to Malik as he waved away someone speaking excitedly to him. _He's only trying to help..._

_'We highly doubt that,'_ the second voice said.

_What makes you say that?_

_'Have you ever thought why he specifically told you to sit up in front?'_ the more aggressive of them said. _'Well excuuuse me for being protective of you.'_

And apparently she could read minds too.

_'I think it would be wiser to let her rest and explain ourselves in her dreams.'_

_'Eh, whatever you say, smart one.'_

The voices were gone and my mind had never felt so empty. It was almost... lonely. But I was quickly snapped out of my self-wallowing when I remembered I would be lost if I lost sight of Malik. My legs had slowed down during the conversation and Malik was waiting for me near the top of a slope and tapping his foot impatiently.

_Heh, reminds me of my mother._

Smiling sheepishly, I wrapped my arms around my middle and jogged awkwardly up the slope. He didn't say one word to me and just kept walking.

_Wonder if he's mad or something._

I shrugged and kept pace with him. What I saw was both exhilarating and frightening. A castle-esque building emerged and the area we were walking through held men, and only men dressed like Malik.

All eyes were on us and I wanted to curl up in a ball in some corner until I was back home. But some part of me screamed no and propelled me forward with my head held high even though I felt the opposite.

At last Malik stopped walking and said something to a guy in armour. Said armour-clad guy nodded and Malik walked through, so I followed, only to be stopped by armour dude.

"Um, Malik told me to follow him," I said awkwardly. Was this all a lie then? Did Malik only lead me here to kill me? It didn't make any sense since he could've done it at any point.

"You are to wait here while our Master makes a decision," armour dude said in a monotone.

"Okay," I agreed quickly and sat down crossed legged on the cold stone. This was the break I needed to clear out my head. _That's right... The voices, now is my chance to shake them._

_'I hope you don't mean literally,'_ I groaned and buried my face in my palms. There it is again. _'Not only would that not work, you would draw negative attention to yourself and possibly acquire a headache.'_

_'Quiet, Marissa, we agreed to explain everything in her dreams.'_

_'As you wish.'_

_Wait, I want to ask you something,_ I thought. But they never responded no matter how many times I asked.

"Danielle," someone spoke. I looked up to see Malik looking at me with the corner of his lips tugged upward ever so slightly. He was amused. "Come with me, I will take you to the healer."

"You mean doctor?" I asked, and then got up with a grunt.

But he was already a ways down the hall, and I jogged to catch up with him again. It took me a great effort to do so, but I managed to not fall asleep standing up and actually reached the healer—or infirmary as it looked like.

"Khalid," Malik approached a man smearing a green paste over someone's arm. Said person looked extremely uncomfortable and… was biting the inside of their cheeks? Guess it must be their version of disinfectant alcohol, plus more pain. "Could you please tend to this girl's wounds? She is an innocent and I'm afraid my brother stabbed her in the stomach and she is barely standing as I speak."

The man named Khalid stopped and looked at Malik in surprise. "Kadar? I didn't know him to be so reckless and impulsive."

"I too, but I can understand why he did it," Malik said as he turned around and gestured for me to come over. "You see, we have a bit of a situation right now."

Khalid had saucers for eyes. Not literally, but he did look like he was ready to piss his pants. _Gee, and I thought t-shirts and jeans were laidback._

"Well, I have many questions but that will have to wait until later," Khalid said as he started to bandage the patient's arm. I glanced at the guy laying down and noted that he had blood splatters all over him, although the pattern of it suggested that it wasn't his.

_I knew it, I _am_ in the den of possible serial killers. Although…_ _what kind of serial killer forms an organization and even arranges medical facilities? Malik did mention master, so it's like a dictatorship. Gah! This is too complicated for me. I'll just ask when I get the chance._

"However, I must know your name," Khalid said. "It would be rude to refer to you as girl."

I smiled a bit. This man also had manners. How nice. "My name is Danielle."

"Danielle… how strange, but not bad either," he mused. "Well then Danielle, you can take a seat or lie down on any of the open mats. I will tend to your wound shortly."

"Alright. Thank you." I took a step back, away from the mat and ended up bumping into Malik. "Oops, sorry."

He didn't respond to my apology, but not everyone does. "Al Mualim, our Master, will send someone for you when you are more able-bodied. I am very busy, and so I cannot stay. While you are here, remember what I told you and you may survive. For now, just get some rest."

"Sure thing," I smiled at him in courtesy. And hugged him out of habit. "Thanks. You know you went through a lot for a stranger."

"U-um, w-well, it was the right thing to do," he stuttered.

_Oops, I'm forgetting what he said already. Even hugging is considered intimate and people could get the wrong idea._

I quickly let go of him and held up my hands beside my head, backing off. "Eheh, sorry, again. I forgot momentarily, but it won't happen again!"

"It's alright," he sighed. "Just be more mindful from now on." With that, he left. I kept staring at the entrance in a daze. Malik was the only person I semi-trusted at this point, and he just left me with a bunch of men that I suspected to be killers.

**End of Chapter** 3

Any guesses on the voices?

I think it's pretty obvious, but then again it might only be because I'm the author.

Anyway, it's the end of March Break, and I hope you guys (who had March Break like I did) enjoyed it. I did manual labour but earned money, so mine was pretty good. How was yours?


	4. All Nine of Us

Hello there my lovelies! I'm back with a new chapter after like… two weeks? More? Sorry for the delay.

Now, since I respond to all reviews, I shall be responding to the anonymous ones at the before every chapter.

Nicole: _I'm glad you like the story so far! Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze out more chapters, although they may be slow._

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Assassin's Creed. If I did, there'd be so much yaoi—never mind. Ubisoft owns it.

**Claimer:** I own my OCs, this fanfic and that's about it.

**Chapter 4**

**All Nine of Us**

"_Hey doofus, wake up," a gruff voice called._

"_You can't sleep forever..." Someone touched my arm. Her voice was much softer and gentler. "Danielle, please wake up."_

"_YEAH! Wake up sleepy head!"_

_The loud one's screech pierced my eardrums and my eyes creaked open. I was in a field, and there seemed to be some sort of building looming in the background. It resembled my school, but there were a few key differences. There was so sun, moon, or stars in the sky. In fact, the world was almost 2D. Behind the building, instead of a background, it was filled with blackness. The world seemed to end beyond that point._

Yes?

"_Remember us?" a girl with short brown hair asked. She was crouched in front of me, holding out a hand, presumably to help me up. I took it gratefully and was pulled into a standing position. Clearly I wasn't awake yet._

I think so...

"_Good, then we can just go ahead with introductions," the brown-haired girl smiled. She was a bit taller than me and wore a checker patterned skirt with a blouse and vest. And judging by her high-rise boots, she seemed very fashionable. There wasn't a piece of clothing out of place. Her brown eyes sparkled as she grinned, she seemed like she had no worries in life._

First of all, what is this?

"_This is your mind," another girl whispered eerily close to my ear. "You are asleep right now and this is your dream. It is the only way for you to communicate with us face to face. When you are conscious you can only hear our voices."_

_I spun around to the source of the voice and saw a light skinned girl with shoulder-length black hair. I only went up to her shoulders. Her sudden appearance caused me to stagger and take a few steps back until I could see her entirely. She was dressed in a black t-shirt, black jeans and running shoes. The typical teenager._

So am I going insane or have you just infiltrated my mind?

_They looked at each other, as if contemplating whether it'd be a good idea to tell me or not. It was kind of pointless since they said the only reason they appeared was to explain everything to me, yet now they were unsure._

"_She's right, it doesn't make sense for us to be so sceptical," the black-haired girl reasoned._

"_Then are we just supposed to blurt out everything?" the male voice grumbled, his displeasure plain._

"_We do not have a choice in this matter."_

_More people began materializing and I stared at them in awe and wonder. Yeah, I could definitely believe this was a dream._

_The black-haired girl stepped forward, her fingers laced together in front of her. "Danielle, before we introduce ourselves, you must accept your condition first."_

Oh? And what would that be?

"_You know what it is," she smiled. It wasn't mocking or sarcastic, but rather sincere and sad. "You've researched this before, haven't you?"_

"_Come on," the male groaned. "You're a lot denser than I thought! Hello, a bunch of people in your head telling you what to do, your vision going blank and lapses in your memory? What are those symptoms of?"_

_I felt my lip twitching upward. Me, a mental disorder?_

That's hilarious. I'm probably one of the most stable people on the planet.

_The girl frowned. "We're not lying. If you don't believe us, then what explanation can you give us for hearing our voices during the day?"_

_My smile dropped and I stared at her feet, trying to come up with a plausible theory. The evidence pointed me in the mentally ill direction, but it just didn't fit. Mental illnesses didn't just pop out of nowhere. They took time to develop. From months to years, not minutes. So what the hell was going on?_

"_Have you realized it yet?" she whispered softly. Sombrely._

_I nodded._

I'm only taking your word for it now because this is my mind and I don't have the evidence to prove you wrong.

_And that the lack of evidence supports their claim._

"_I'm glad," she smiled again and reached out to take my hand. I sensed no danger from any of them, despite the tall male's snide attitude. "Then we can begin." She pulled me to stand in front of their group, and then released me to take her place beside the brown-haired girl._

"_HELLO!" the brown-haired girl screamed in my face. I winced and took a step back._

Hello to you too...

_She grinned at me and scratched at the back of her head. "Sorry 'bout that, I'm just really excited to be finally meeting you in person." I just nodded dumbly and she took it as a sign to continue. "My name's Simone, I'm nineteen-years-old, five-foot nine-inches and—"_

"_Simone! You don't have to give your whole life story!"_

"_Alright, alright... geez. Anyway, I represent the happy side of you."_

_My eyebrows rose in bewilderment. The what side of me?_

So you're saying I'm a miserable person?

"_No, no, no!" she exclaimed, waving her hands around wildly. "It's just that you're usually unhappy—"_

What?

"_No, that's not what I meant!" There was snickering in the background but we both ignored it. "Like, I'm how you would be like if you were happy all the time—"_

That makes no sense.

"_Um, well," she spluttered. Her eyes darted back and forth before fixing on a girl with long black hair. Simone pointed at her accusingly, "She's the miserable part of you!"_

_Said girl turned her head sideways to look at Simone in apathy. "Actually, I do not represent her miserable side. There isn't one of us that does at the moment."_

"_Well, let's keep going then. She's said all she needs to."_

"_And more," someone commented._

_The male standing next to her sighed. "Guess I got to go now, huh." He ran a hand through his hair like Jason would and avoided eye contact. In fact, there were a lot of similarities. He had the same red hair that went a bit past his ears and blue eyes. He adorned the same shoes as Jason; converse with black marker scribble lines on the side. Along with a pair of loose blue jeans, he wore a t-shirt with the bio-hazardous symbol on it; Jason's favourite symbol. "The name's Isaac. According to these guys I'm your manly side."_

_I beamed at him childishly, _I knew I had a manly side hidden somewhere deep inside of me!

_He gave me a blank stare. Then, "You're all right."_

Glad to know you approve.

"_You're next, kid," Isaac grunted. He shifted slightly and I caught the glimpse of a small child clinging to Isaac's pant leg. Simone tried to usher him forward gently, but he vehemently shook his head and only hugged Isaac's leg closer._

_I felt a smile creeping onto my face and crouched down. He looked at me with big eyes, but they weren't fearful. I extended a hand and waited to see if he would take it. The kid looked up at Isaac, Isaac nodded._

"_Come on Vince, it's okay. She won't hurt you~" Simone cooed, arms wide open. The kid only looked at her in caution and backed away. The disappointment on Simone's face was hysterical, but I didn't laugh since Isaac did it for me. He sniggered at her and she glared light-heartedly at him._

"_He doesn't like you."_

"_I noticed," she shot back._

What's his name?_ I asked Isaac._

"_He's Vincent, and he should be introducing himself," Isaac replied as he bent down and lifted Vincent up. He was obviously startled at being lifted, but as most kids had it, being lifted was fun and a big grin spread across his face. Isaac held him up with both arms and turned him around so that he was facing me at eye level. "Go on kid, she's all right."_

_Vincent's gaze was downcast, and I caught some faint pink across his cheeks. It was cute how he was so embarrassed. He looked to be around six or seven years old with soft curls framing his face and a pair of blue eyes. Even his clothes were adorable. He wore dark blue long sleeves and black cargo pants with boyish sandals._

It's okay Vincent, I'm not a bad person. _I tried to sound as harmless as possible and craned my neck around to look at him from below. His eyes went wide as he struggled a bit in Isaac's grasp._

"_Hey, calm down!" Isaac was clearly frustrated, I figured he didn't deal with small children often. "Kid, it's okay."_

_Vincent calmed down for the most part and ceased his struggling. My guess was that the eye contact only made him more embarrassed and that was why he started kicking. There was only one way to conquer this. He didn't look too young, so it'll probably work. It worked on my brother when he was four._

Isaac, let me carry him.

_Isaac looked at me like I grew another head, "Are you insane? The kid starts crying as soon as anyone other than me picks him up. What makes you think—Hey!"_

_I ignored Isaac's remarks and plucked Vincent out of his arms. The kid froze on contact, but as soon as I steadied my arms, he buried his face in my neck and grabbed onto my shoulders. _

_I smirked at Isaac. He turned his head away and glared at nothing._

"_Not faaair, he never does that when I try to pick him up!" Simone raved. I grinned in triumph at her and patted Vincent's head. "Oh, rub it in why don't you."_

I already am.

"_Okay, now that we've established that Danielle is good with kids, can we move on? It doesn't look like Vincent is going to talk anytime soon."_

Is he mute?

_Simone opened her mouth to reply, but Isaac cut her off, "We don't know for sure. He might be. He's only been here for less than a day."_

I see...

"_Let's wait," the long black-haired girl said. She had the same black hair as me, but hers went almost to her waist. Her eyes were also like mine; green, but a darker shade. Her clothes felt strangely familiar. I know I've seen someone wear a white turtleneck sweater, blue skirt with black tights and black boots. But where...? "If he doesn't say a word in a week, then we'll tell you what he represents. It should be fairly obvious, but since you're in such denial, it may take a while."_

_My lips pressed thin and my eyebrows furrowed at this. They were still going on about this. And if Vincent hasn't spoken a word, how did they find out his name?_

Just a question out of curiosity, how'd you guys find out his name?

"_I had to guess," Isaac muttered. "He only responded with head nods or shakes and it took me nearly an hour to get it right."_

"_No use in delay," the girl to my left interjected. "I'm next anyway. My name is Helen and I am your rational side."_

This is completely whack. So far you guys have implied that I'm not very happy—manly I can understand—but now rational? I _run_ on reason and rationality.

_Helen looked at me with the same indifference and replied, "That is incorrect. If you were truly as reasonable and rational as you say you are, you wouldn't be having those doubts or taken that teleportation pod."_

_My teeth ground together in anger at being talked back by my own mind. _Whatever...

_She sighed and shook her head lightly. I had the biggest urge to demand what she meant by that when the next person stepped forward and began speaking._

"_I'm Morgan, nice to finally meet you," she didn't smile or anything, just held out a hand for me to shake. I forgot my anger at Helen and shook Morgan's hand. She wore mismatching but oddly fitting clothes. A purple tank-top and blue jean shorts. Like, short-shorts. At least she wore normal sneakers. "I present the... more devious part of you."_

_Devious? Now this is interesting. I didn't know I had it in me._

Nice to meet you too, Morgan. Say, you would warn me if you were to prank me, right?

_Morgan's lips twitched, but she kept her poker face intact. "It wouldn't be fun if I did."_

Well, I'm screwed. _I laughed._ I always seem to walk headfirst into pranks.

"_Maybe," she whispered cryptically, and then stepped back._

_I took a few steps to my left to face the next person. _Hey, what's up?

"_Lauren," she mumbled, head lowered and hand extended. But unlike Morgan, her grip wasn't firm and her hands arms were a bit slack. I always hated having to shake hands with people with jellyfish limbs, but since this was my mind, I tolerated it. She had medium length brown hair with brown eyes. Her clothes were a bit of a mystery though. I didn't see many people wearing dresses these days, but she pulled it off quite well. The white dress was simple with two shoulder straps and it ended right above her knees. A light blue sash like belt showed how thin she was. Too bad, put a bow in her hair and her image would be complete. At least she wore white boots, which, might I add, were very cute. "I..."_

Yes? Go on.

_She leaned in close to my ear; apparently this was a big deal. "I vent your deepest sorrows."_

_Hurh?_

O...kay.

_The last girl guided her by the shoulders and led her away from the group, spoke a few words to her and then, Lauren vanished. She didn't poof away in a puff of smoke, but rather her image distorted and flashed a few times before blinking out of sight. The girl that guided her away then returned. She sported the gangster look with short, spiky black hair and charcoal black eyes. She wore black baggy pants, a loose black t-shirt with a decorative skull, a red bandana around her neck and... hiking boots? Well, it still made her look tough._

"_And I'm Janelle, but you can call me Jan or Elle," she spoke confidently. Janelle's posture was the stark opposite of Lauren's. She stood tall with her back straight and face forward. When I shook her hand, I felt that her grip was a bit too strong, and my fingers longed for the blood to return. "I take over when you can't take the heat."_

"_Janelle!" Morgan hissed._

"_What?" she snapped. "She's going to find out sooner or later."_

"_Not now!"_

"_Fine, fine," she rolled her eyes. "I'm here so that you don't break down crying when—what?"_

_Morgan had pinched her on the forearm._

"_You're being too vague."_

"_Well how else am I supposed to say it?"_

_Helen sighed in exasperation, "Just say it as it is."_

"_What? That I'm her evil side?"_

_There was a pregnant pause. All except Janelle tried to avoid eye contact._

"_What?"_

"_Nothing, let's move on," Helen replied._

Okay then...

"_I'm Marissa." I looked over my shoulder to see the short black-haired girl step forward. "I represent the forgiveness within you."_

That's pretty deep,_ I mused. I hadn't really taken a careful look at her before, but now I saw that she seemed to be the ring leader. Her very presence demanded acknowledgement, even if she was the forgiving part of me. She also wore all black, but instead of intimidating, she looked harmless. A long sleeved shirt, skinny jeans and flats. I also noticed that she was the only one to wear jewellery. She had small round diamond studs, but they were on the bottom lobe of her ears._

"_I'd love to explain more to you, but your body is exhausted and it's time for this session to come to an end."_

_Simone smiled widely at me, waving... goodbye? In an instant she blinked away. I looked to the side and they all started to blink and vanish._

"_We'll speak soon," a soft voice whispered next to me. It was a ghost of a sound, floating by gently as if it were being swept away by the wind. But this was my mind, and there was no wind. Actually, there was nothing at all. They were all gone._

* * *

There was something warm on my forehead. It was slightly damp, and the texture was that of rough cloth. My sides burned and clenched as I tried to move.

"Stay still," a monotone voice berated me. "I'm almost done."

My eyes opened for the second time today and my vision came into focus much slower than usual. "Khalid?"

"What is it, child?" the middle-aged man responded without sparing me a glance, too busy supporting me with one arm while bandaging my stomach.

My first instinct made me lean on my elbows to give him a break. He wasted no time in wrapping much quicker than before, just in case I became faint. "How long have I been asleep for?"

"Not very long," he grunted as he tied the bandages together with a heave. I could tell he'd been working all day, and it didn't seem like he got much help. "You've only been unconscious for ten to fifteen minutes."

Wow, that wasn't long at all. But I felt even more tired than before.

"_Sorry, we forgot to tell you that talking to all of us at once will sap your energy," Marissa apologized._

_It's fine. The next time you guys want to talk though, just do it when I'm not already dead tired?_

"_No problem," Simone chirped. "Hey, he's looking at you weird."_

I lifted my head and saw Khalid staring at me expectantly. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"Yes, I asked if you were hungry."

I opened my mouth to respond, but my stomach responded for me. It growled loudly and I grinned at Khalid sheepishly. "Maybe a little..."

"Breakfast has been long over, but lunch will be served shortly. I'll have one of the servants to bring you something."

"Thank you," I said meekly. For some reason when he said servants, I felt lesser—like I was one of them. _Heck, I'll probably become one of them sooner or later._

Khalid exited the room and returned shortly. He gave me instructions on how to sit up without agitating my wound and how much exercise I was limited to each day. I didn't like the prospect of not being able to walk around for more than an hour a day, but what could I do?

"You've been very helpful," I complimented. "Thank you."

"There is no need to thank me, child," he replied with a small smile. Good to know I was making friends.

"If you don't mind me asking, when would be a good time for me to speak with your master?"

Khalid paused in washing a bloodied cloth and pondered my question. "If I remember correctly, Malik said that a servant would be sent for you. However, if you feel that you are able, I will see if he would be willing to see you now."

I felt like a cow in a slaughter factory. Malik and Khalid were very nice to me, and I wanted to believe that their Master was just as benevolent. But my assumptions were often wrong, and I felt the need to prepare myself for the worst case scenario. If I were to be executed—perhaps for being accused of being a witch? Ha, medieval times—then I had to plot out my escape plan. To do that, I'd need a basic knowledge of the grounds. I memorized how to get in and out from the medical room to the gardens and to the city when I was brought in, but that was it.

"I'll wait for the servant..."

"A wise choice, seeing as you would be in too much pain to answer the Master properly." Khalid took the cloth and hung it over a clothes line of some sort. He then reached for another one and began washing it. He didn't say anymore, and I felt complied to start a conversation. But on what?

I wasn't given any time to think, because a servant girl walked into the room, spotted me, and placed a food tray beside my mat. I thanked her and she scurried away, as if I threatened her. My face dropped and I picked up a piece of bread, shoving it in my mouth with complete disregard of eating manners.

When I was halfway done my meal, I caught Khalid looking at me oddly. "Did I do something?"

He turned away, embarrassed at being caught but quickly composed himself. "No. The way you eat is most... different from our culture."

I blushed furiously when I realized what I had been doing. "Sorry, I don't usually eat like this—actually, I don't know why I just started inhaling my food... I'm usually calmer than this." Although I have every reason to freak out.

He laughed and shook his head like a parent would do when their child did something stupid. I felt like that child. "It is nothing to apologize over, but I think it would be beneficial to you if you learned the basics of our culture so you do not offend our Master."

I perked up at that and nodded. "I would like that."

"Good," he said and got up to hang up two more cloths. "Shall we begin now?"

"Sure..." I mumbled. Now that my hunger was satiated, I could think more clearly now. First things first, why was Khalid being so nice to me? Malik did only what he had to, but Khalid was going out of his way for me. My curiosity got the best of me and I asked. "Khalid, if you don't mind me asking, why are you doing this?"

"I thought you might ask," he sighed and took a seat across from me. "After you passed out, Malik returned; he had forgotten to tell me that your attitude would get you in trouble and asked me to teach you our basic mannerisms."

Oh, well that explains it.

"Ah," was all I could say. I poked my fingers together and bit my lip.

"Yes, I was perplexed at first too. But now I understand why he requested that."

"And why is that?" I asked in earnest curiosity.

"Malik feels something odd about you. Not necessarily in a bad way, just odd. I can't help but think it would be wasteful to leave you for dead."

Wasteful. That's another word for pity.

"_No, it's not."_

_You be quiet, this is _my_ conversation._

"_Suit yourself, but try not to drown in paranoia this time. It takes a toll on our nerves."_

"So, what's the first thing I should know?"

Khalid outlined how to speak to a man, to another female, and how to address people. I listened carefully and nodded every now and then to show him I was still listening. I never took ancient history in my three years of high school, and was beginning to regret it a bit.

At least I knew geography.

Khalid expanded a bit on what would be expected of women in this time and place, and the information sunk in. I knew I basically had no rights before he started talking, and that women were most likely used as slaves, but hearing this from someone who probably expected me to act this way made my blood boil.

I couldn't help it. Growing up in an era of equality, this was too surreal and ridiculous for me to accept.

"Do you have any questions?"

"Yeah," I sat up straight, suddenly having an urge to prove myself. "What are the consequences if I behave out of line?"

"Well, you'd most certainly get a scolding, and depending on the severity of your actions and who was offended, it could differ greatly."

I grinned cheekily, "What if I called you a bumhole?"

"I'd smack you over the head," he laughed.

I like Khalid. He's nice to me.

"_He's a medic, he's probably used to people being vulgar when they're in pain. It must be a nice change to have a decent conversation and not be yelled at."_

I guess. I should know. People who got surgery when the anaesthesia didn't work were really loud. Can't blame them.

"Oh, if it's not too much trouble, is there a mirror nearby? I just want to see the... extent of my injuries."

I must have been shocking Khalid a lot today, because he kept giving me bewildered looks. "Are you sure? Most people do not want to face the scars and disfigurations of their bodies, but you are... eager?"

I shrugged for a lack of better words. "I'm just curious and kind of excited."

"Alright," he agreed, albeit uncertain. "You can have a look when it is time to change your bandages."

I opened my mouth to thank him, but a servant girl walked in at that moment and stopped by the side of my mat. "The Master would like to speak with you. Please follow me."

"Eh?" I leaned up on one elbow and took a double take between the servant girl and Khalid. He motioned with his head for me to get up and follow her. "So much for rest…"

I rolled into a semi-kneeling and rising position and got up without much hassle. The servant girl was waiting for me by the stony entrance, and my knees faltered a bit before finding my footing. She turned silently and walked briskly ahead of me, making the gap wider and wider until she reached a turning point and would wait for me.

_Curse this wound, still hurts like a bitch to walk._

We continued like this for a few more minutes before she stopped at some stairs. "The Master is waiting for you at the top of these stairs." Without ever looking up to meet my eyes, she turned quickly and almost fled from me.

_This can't be good._

I reluctantly made my way up the stairs, dread brewing in the pit of my stomach. This was it. The guy that would decide whether I'd live or die, and I hadn't even plotted out my escape plan yet. I was too caught up in trying to keep with the servant girl...

"Hello?" I called out as I neared the last few steps.

"Come, child."

I saw an old man sitting behind a desk, writing.

"Um, hi, I'm Danielle," I introduced myself awkwardly. He didn't look up from his desk and kept writing for a few more lines before finally getting up and acknowledging me.

"So, you are the one that has been causing this entire ruckus," he said as he walked in circles around me.

"Ruckus?"

"Yes." He stopped in front of me. "The entire city is in frenzy. They are wondering who you are, where you came from and why you are here. Your mere presence stirred up an uproar."

I recounted our walk through the city; the many people going up to Malik, casting me curious yet suspicious glances. Word really does spread like wildfire.

"I'm sorry for causing a disturbance."

He held up a hand, and I guessed that meant I had said enough. "Do not dwell on that, child. Now come, sit down." He gestured to a chair placed near his desk. I took a seat and he resumed his spot behind the giant desk. "Now, you must answer me honestly. We have no room for lies and treachery."

"I'm not a liar," I said confidently. I couldn't remember the last time I told a lie. I resolved that lying wasn't worth it a long time ago, and no matter how painful the truth got, I would say it.

He looked at me with a kind of caution and suspicion that seemed like he dealt with people who claimed this often. "Then tell me this, which country are you from?"

"Canada."

To my despair, he pulled out a dagger and began to examine it. "Canada, you say? Where is this?"

"In North America."

This went on for at least another half hour. He kept asking more and more detailed questions, and then asked them backwards. It was obvious that he was trying to weed out a lie, but since I answered all his questions truthfully, I had no problem in responding to any of them. He then started to ask about my family. Although this was more personal, I still didn't hesitate in replying. I feared that if I did, he'd get the false belief of me lying.

In the end, I had ended up describing the geological characteristics of Canada and the United States, the distance of the Atlantic Ocean from North America to Europe, and the distance of the Pacific Ocean from North America to Asia.

I also described the place where I lived, our buildings, customs a bunch of other stuff I deemed to be normal. This whole process took almost an hour since I had to explain things over and over again while thinking up several similes. It was extremely tiring, and I was most thankful when it ended.

He also learned about my family, and I had to explain why women were allowed to work and have equality.

"One last question, do you know which year this is?"

_An odd question. Malik must have told him about me asking about that._

"Yes. Malik informed me that it is currently 1192. But…"

"But?"

"I'm not from this time period." I held up my hands beside my head in a kind of surrender and got up hastily. "I know, I know, I'm crazy. But please, you have to believe me, I'm really from the year 2020 and I have a feeling I know how I got here."

He had put the dagger away a long time ago. "Do tell, how did you come here?"

"Remember that teleportation pod I mentioned earlier? Well, technology seems to really hate me and the pod I took malfunctioned. Instead of sending me through space, it sent me through time." I sat down again once I regained my composure. "I don't know the extent that the technicians had to mess up as badly as that for it to happen, but that's how it went."

"Your story is filled with talk of sorcery and otherwise nonsense." He pushed his chair back and stood with purpose. "I don't suppose you have any proof for your claims."

My eyes lit up as he said this. "Actually, I do! Malik tied my bag to his horse. I'm not sure if he forgot to take it down, but all my things, including some money are in there. If you see it you'll believe me."

He turned around with his back to me, contemplating. I saw him raise his hand up to his chin, and I could only imagine him stroking his beard.

I had to suppress a giggle. It would be bad if I giggled. And inappropriate.

"Very well." He clapped his hands twice loudly. A servant girl came rushing up the stairs. Wow, these people had some hearing. And this isn't the epitome hierarchy, I don't know what is. "Bring the bag."

She bowed and scurried away. In no time, she returned with my bag. To my relief, it didn't look any different than it did when I left the house. Al Mualim, as I had learned was their Master's name, handed me the bag.

"Thank you," I said in courtesy. I set the bag on the floor and dug out my binder, pencil case, first-aid kit, wallet and agenda. "Here," I held up a five dollar bill and pointed to the bottom. "See the date? This bill was made in 2003."

Al Mualim scrutinized the bill. "Although I do not know what else it reads, the numbers do add up. And this is your currency?"

"Yes," I said as I picked out some change from my wallet. "We use coins as well, but coins are worth less than bills. There are also other forms of paying for things, but going into detail about that would be pointless."

"Interesting. Is this all?" He held the bill out for me to take back.

"Oh no, I have lots more," I was surprisingly eager to show him all my things. I kind of felt a parent teaching a child. I handed him my agenda first. "Here's my school agenda. See, on the cover it says 2020 – 2021. Those are the years that a regular school year covers. It starts in September and ends in June."

"It is still hard to believe that you are a time traveller, but your evidence is respectable." He flipped through the pages of the agenda and caught sight of the calendar. He must have been hoping that the pages were blank.

"Oh but wait, there's more." I turned my first-aid kit upside down and pointed to the date on the bottom. "See, I got this during my summer vacation. It was made in 2020."

Al Mualim was slowly becoming convinced, I could feel it. This was good. This was very good. I have a good chance of living now.

"And my pencil case," I added in a rush, grabbing a handful of lead pencils, pens and gel pens. "See, if you look at these, you'll find that all the dates are from the twenty-first century."

"This is most interesting," he remarked, holding up the gel pens close to his face. "What is this?"

"That's a gel pen," I responded while still digging through my bag. I had to have more things in here that had date on them. "It's a writing utensil, and the colour of the gel inside is the colour that it writes. Very useful for organizing my notes."

"Ingenious. This gel does not spill and it is very portable."

"Yes, and I can't seem to find my cellphone. Oh wait, it's in my pocket." I laughed at my own forgetfulness and fished it out of my left jean pocket. "Here, I bet you've never seen this before."

Al Mualim returned my other belongings to me and took the phone. "No, I admit I have not."

"It's a cellphone," I explained. "It lets you communicate to other people over long distances as far as the other side of the planet." He seemed shocked and demanded how it was possible. "Well, there are these things called GSM towers set up all over the planet and they send signals to the cellphone. Once the cellphone receives the signal, it sends a signal back, and that signal is sent to a specific tower that then sends the signal to a different device. The signal is almost instant, so the moment someone speaks on the other side from wherever they are, you hear it immediately."

"But how can you hear anything from this tiny device?" The incredulity in his voice was awesome in a way. I felt so smart.

"Can I give you a demonstration? I can't really explain speakers well, but the sound comes from speakers."

He hesitated.

"It's not a weapon, I swear. In fact, it's fragile and no one would ever think of using it to attack anyone."

It seems as if I read his mind, and he put it in my outstretched hand. I unlocked the touch screen and selected my music player. Choosing a song without an overkill of rap, the word baby, or dirty lyrics was hard, but I managed. As the song came on, I saw the astonishment and wonder on Al Mualim's face.

_I feel all powerful right now. Please let this last._

"This is inconceivable!"

"Oh, it's no big deal, just technology from the future," I tried to play it cool. "So, do you believe me now?"

**End of Chapter 4**

Hopefully this clears up the voices. Anyone guess what the disorder is? Must be pretty obvious now, although I've made some adjustments to hers. Also, inspiration for it came from Yu Yu Hakusho, one of the best animes in the history of anime. In my opinion OTL

**Important! Please read, especially if you were confused about this chapter.**

Just in case you're still confused about the talking format in Danielle's dream, I'll try to explain as best as possible:

* * *

"_Hey doofus, wake up," a gruff voice called._

This is normal dialogue for the other people inside her head.

* * *

What is this? (Said by Danielle)

This is Danielle speaking with her mind. I'll get more into it later on.

* * *

_The loud one's screech pierced my eardrums and my eyes creaked open._

Normal description.

* * *

Remember, this is only the format for dreams. When she is conscious, the _italicized words in quotations represent the other people talking to her._

Last thing, I don't know if I've said this before, but my stories are always **UNBETA'D**, so if you catch an error, please, please, please tell me. Sometimes I go back and re-read it and end up finding like five grammar mistakes and missing words.

Thank you very much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are loved~


	5. Team Templar

Now that the bulk of my work is done, I can finally focus on this. But now I'm being threatened with final examinations (hate the in-class ones the most). OH SCHOOL LIFE, Y U LIKE THIS?

I realize that the starter chapters were slow-paced, so hopefully this will help speed things up!

kookie-douwh: I'm glad you think so, and yeah, we're all lazy to some extent, eh? XD

Cavea Aurata: Lol, what is this stranger you speak of? And I'm very happy you like my story.

**Disclaimer:** I don't think I've said enough times that I don't own and never will own Assassin's Creed.

**Claimer:** I own this fanfic and my OCs?

**UN-BETA'D – If you catch any spelling or grammar errors, feel free to let me know!**

**Chapter 5**

**Team Templar**

Al Mualim had spared my life. He had let me stay here to recover, no doubt taking pity on me. It was also probably because I explained to him that one of his men was the cause of my injury. I was given the option to either leave or work for him and his... organization after I recovered, and in the meantime, I was to get some rest and think it over.

Speaking of thinking...

_Marissa, Simone, you there?_

_'Yeah, how are you doing?'_

_I'm okay, I guess. I have good news and bad news._

_'Oh, let me guess, the good news is that he's going to let you live?' Simone interrupted._

_Yes—wait, how did you know?_

Pause.

_'Oops.'_

_'Simone, you idiot,' came Isaac's voice._

_'Sorry!'_

_I heard a barely audible sigh from Helen. 'We should probably tell her the rest then.'_

_The rest of what? About you guys?_

_'I agree,' Morgan's voice emerged. 'There's no point in hiding it any longer. She'll probably drown in anxiety and Lauren's going to have to flush it out.'_

_Just keep ignoring me..._

_'I disagree,' Isaac deadpanned. 'Why should we serve this information to her on a silver platter?'_

_'Um, maybe because the chick will go insane if we don't?' Janelle remarked sarcastically. 'Do you want to live in an constant haze of insanity?'_

_There was another pause, but it was filled with the sounds of muttering and shuffling of feet._

_'Fine, do what you like,' Isaac grudgingly relented. 'Just leave me out of this.'_

_What's his problem?_

_'He's been having some problems with Vincent after you left,' Marissa replied, I detected a hint of exasperation._

I smirked, _So he's jealous?_

_'So jealous that his head's going to explode,' Janelle snickered._

_'Let's get back on topic, shall we?' Helen cut in. 'We're on a time limit and your incessant ramblings does not help.'_

_'Fine, fine.'_

_So what do you need to tell me?_

_'First things first, you need to go somewhere where we won't be interrupted. It would be bad if you were seen talking to yourself or staring off into space.'_

_Is that really such a bad thing? I mean, people daydream all the time._

_'Maybe,' Janelle murmured. 'But since this is 1192, people might think differently. You know, just a little bit.'_

I stiffled a laugh with my fist. _A little bit. Right._

They quieted again. I raked a hand through my hair and felt just how greasy it was. Gross. Nothing I could do about it now. Speaking of which, how the hell did I develop split personalities? I really was the most stable person on the planet—well, mentally stable I mean.

And how many were there? Marissa, Simone, Isaac, Vincent... um. Helen, Janelle and... and... Lauren and Morgan? I think that's all of them. I'll be damned if I can remember what they "represent".

Even through the conversation inside my head I still caught the suspicious and scared glances and stares. I should be the one doing that. 1192 or not, I would never be able to get used to their clothes.

Luckily Al Mualim had told a servant to spread word of my stay here so that I wouldn't be harrassed. I'm not sure it would work, but for the time being no one was coming near me, so I guess that was all good. I wouldn't know what to say even if they did approach me. Oh, are you new? Why yes, I am. Your clothes are most strange, where did you come from? Canada! Where?

I wondered the grounds for a few minutes, oblivious to the landmarks I marked off in my head. I didn't want to go to the infirmary—as I like to call it since it wasn't big enough to be a hospital and didn't match a clinic. Khalid was there and call me crazy but I think we could be good friends if I play my cards right. I'm certainly not going to jeopardize it by talking to myself.

_No good... everywhere I go there's guards. And I don't like the look in their eye. That obnoxious, accusing, and distrustful look._

Not that I blame them... I guess. I wouldn't exactly trust me if I were them.

"Hey you," a gruff voice called from behind me.

I silently prayed that whoever it was, they weren't talking to me. But as fate would have it, they were. There wasn't anyone else in the vicinity, so unless he also had voices inside his head telling him what to do, then I was being addressed.

Even though Khalid gave me an impromptu manners lesson, I couldn't remember them.

"Can I help you?" I asked politely. Well, Canadian polite anyway. Hopefully my native manners would be enough to not rise the suspicion of whether I was brought up in a dog house or not.

His eyes scanned me for a moment and I felt myself shrink a few feet. "You are the one that everyone is talking about, correct?"

...

What is this, a cross-examination?

"Maybe?"

I slammed my forehead into an imaginary desk inside my mind. Of course I was.

"Good. Al Mualim has summoned you."

I grew back to my normal height and frowned. "That's strange. I just finished speaking to him half an hour ago."

He shook his head. "It does not matter. The Master has summoned you so I suggest you follow me. Unless you are confident you can find your way back, of course."

I chuckled nervously. "No, I certainly can't. This place is like a maze... I'd appreciate it if you could lead me back."

And if you can spit that out without choking, you're good to go!

He motioned for me to follow him with his hands and I trailed a few feet behind him. Either he really didn't care how out of place I was, or he's really good at following orders. My bet is on the latter.

_This time I should memorize more landmarks..._

But so many things looked the same! I mean, how can that exact same shield and armour be standing there? So much deja vu... most parts of the building looked like it was copied and pasted in Photoshop. That, or the architects are damn fine.

When I arrived before Al Mualim again, he regarded me with something akin to the suspicion a cop would have for a parole. When I saw what he held in his hands, I fully understood the situation.

A lighter.

_Well shit._

"That's not mine," I blurted out.

I could see his face contort into anger for a split second before putting itself back to its original indifferent look. "Is that so? All these items," he gestured to the switchblades, matches, syringes, lighters, and cigarettes spread out on his table, "were found in your sack. Tell me then child, if these are not yours, then who do they belong to?"

"My friends," I admitted reluctantly. "They're... uh, hooligans."

"Your friends? Hooligans? Explain yourself, or I am afraid I will have to use force to make you speak," he warned with a glint in his eyes. I swallowed the lump in my throat and readied myself for a long-ass explanation.

I've seen people with pure, unadulterated malice in their eyes, and he showed me that malice in the split second before he finished speaking.

_A generally nice and understanding man that is also capable of exhibiting the cruelty that most cannot stand is in charge of my fate. I'm in a real pickle._

"Okay, long story short, I confiscated them."

"That is not a satisfactory explanation." The irritation clear in his voice, I could sense an imminent danger and swallowed again.

"Um, okay, then... the long story. My friends were previously drug addicts and got in trouble with the law a lot. Uh, they still do, but not as much and not as severe. I'm a sort of median...? Yeah, median for them and whenever I feel that they can't keep themselves out of trouble, I'll take away some of their items," I gestured towards the switchblades, "and hope that they won't be stupid enough to do something. The other items I've confiscated for minor problems. Say, if they try to start a fight with someone for a stupid reason, I'll take away their cigarette and lighters. As for the syringes," I picked one up with my index finger and thumb, "sometimes they go into relapses and are desperate for a dose so I help them dispose of... the evidence I guess."

A searing pain shot through my head and I squinted at the switchblades.

"_Vidic, she's not doing well."_

More voices in my head...? I thought I met them all... maybe I was developing more?

"_Well don't just stand there, get her out of there!"_

"_I can't... she's... she doesn't want to come out?"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_She's resisting it, and winning. Look, I don't know if you can hear me, but you have to get out! Stop resisting the commands. I'm only trying to help!"_

"_Can she really hear you; she looks comatose."_

"_She should be able to."_

A hand waved in front of me and I tried to catch it with my own, but my right arm barely lifted itself. That's strange; I don't feel weak...

"_What do we do?"_

"_I told you it was a bad idea. She doesn't have any ancestral genes. This was a mistake from the beginning!"_

"_Alright, I get it, but for now we have to get her out of there. Get the power cables! She should come back if there's nothing sustaining frequency."_

"_But this isn't a normal project. She's not synchronized so doesn't that also risk leaving her trapped there forever?"_

"_...Shit."_

"...blank. Take her to..."

"_...leave her..."_

A sickening clench squeezed my chest where my heart is. It felt like someone had a grip on the beating organ. The instant I regained control I also realized I was being half carried, half dragged.

"W-what?"

"Don't worry, girl. Everything will be quiet soon," a voice echoed. I lifted my head and saw it was one of the guards. The head gear must have made the echoing noise.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Just a quiet place where you'll be housed and fed... don't worry, we're going away from the noise."

"Noise?"

Then—oh. My mind clicked. Guards didn't act like this, and I'm sure it must be killing him to soothe my imaginary fears. So while I wasn't in control of my body I was probably raving about noise. And now I was being dragged underground. What's usually underground? Dungeons. Prison.

_I'm being sent to prison... to die. I doubt they'll actually remember me once they leave me down there._

A stench of rotting flesh hit my nose as we rounded a corner and past some heavy double doors. Oh yeah, I was going to get it.

I was thrown into a small cage of some sort and the door to it clanged together before a chain with a padlock sealed my fate.

"See. It's quiet now. Food will be sent down three times a day, so don't worry, okay?"

"I'm not crazy," I deadpanned.

I couldn't see his face, but I imagined he to be rolling his eyes. "Sure you aren't."

Perhaps this was their way of respecting my request, but that night, they didn't appear.

* * *

"Get to your battle stations!"

The guards of the dungeon looked to each other, the silent question of should they leave their posts.

I had been down here for only day and spent my time making idle conversation with the other prisoners. Well, when they spoke normally anyway. My house guests still wouldn't talk to me. What did I do now?

"What's going on?"

"No time to explain, hurry up and follow me."

The guards gave me a brief glance before pushing through the doors and closing it behind him. Like most people in a hurry, he didn't close it properly.

_Heh, my chance out. Thank you destiny!_

Groans all around me made me stop. I hesitantly turned around to survey my surroundings. This dungeon was not necessarily the kind I had in mind. No one was in the best moods, obviously, but they didn't look like Holocaust survivors either.

"Sorry," I whispered and slipped out. I didn't know what I was apologizing for. For just leaving? For not even giving them food or water? I didn't have any on me... but that didn't mean I couldn't get any for them. Damn it, this isn't the time to be thinking about that.

I noticed when they threw me in here that the spaces above the bars allowed more than enough space for escape. I willed my legs to move, and within seconds I became the pilot of my body again. It took me a couple of minutes to climb up the vertical bars before reaching the top. Normally, I would have been out in under a minute, but my situation slowed me down considerably.

It was a good thing there was only one corridor leading in and out. In a few minutes I was on the surface again. But it was only refreshing for a second before someone crashed into me.

I didn't get a chance to look at the person who shoved me aside, and the boiling anger quickly washed away when screams escalated in volume and pitch.

_The danger I felt... it wasn't from Al Mualim._

"Malik can't do it. Go get Altair!"

Malik? I turned my head to the source of the voice but they were already gone. Malik can't do it... can't do what? Why not?

_Maybe he's injured._

I made a bee-line for the infirmary, all the while dodging people. When I got closer, I heard even more screams. The adrenalin began pumping through my veins and I propelled myself forward.

When I arrived what I saw both shocked and disgusted me. I steadied my nerves and walked briskly to Malik's side. His left arm was a mess. He didn't seem to be conscious—

"Danielle?"

Never mind. Make that very conscious.

"Danielle, I need you to stay back!" Khalid's voice boomed. I flinched at it but backed off nonetheless. This seemed to be serious and I didn't want to get in the way... but Khalid didn't have any help. Where are the other medics? Are they all outside or what?

I took a cursory sweep of the room with my eyes and the number of injured clearly could not be tended to by only one person. Whether I get in the way or not, I had to try. It was awfully cheesy, my reasoning, but really, it was all I could do.

Before I knew it, I was consoling grown men, cleaning wounds and bandaging limbs. Khalid objected to my interference at first, but I quickly proved myself useful. He stopped dwelling on it surprisingly quick and had to return to amputating Malik's arm.

I've sat through amputations before, but that was in the future with drugs and no screaming. I wasn't cut out for this kind of job.

"Danielle, come over here! I need you to hold him down!"

I stopped mid-bandaging of a man whose arm had been shot with an arrow. He nodded at me to go and I gave him an apologetic smile.

Malik screamed bloody murder the whole time. But who could blame him? It took all my willpower to not turn away while Khalid literally sawed off his arm. When we were done, Malik had passed out—from pain or blood loss, I don't know—and we were both covered in blood.

* * *

Two days passed since then.

I didn't know what happened as Malik still hadn't woke up from his fever, but not long after Khalid and I finished tending to the wounded, from both already in the infirmary to scouting outside, Altair had been brought in.

Apparently Al Mualim stabbed him in the stomach as punishment.

_Wonder what he did to screw up that badly... I'll ask Malik once he wakes up._

I was allowed to stay at Masyaf—and not as prisoner mind you—but as a doctor. I had very limited knowledge of the human body, but apparently that was a lot considering my age and gender.

Most of what I knew I could barely apply here since the technology is so old.

"Danielle," Khalid called. "Wash these."

I caught the cloths he tossed to me with ease. Ever since yesterday afternoon, my wound had healed almost completely. This unnerved me greatly. Obviously with my exertion it should have reopened, not healed. And although I didn't know what in God's name was happening, I kind of enjoyed it—the fast healing part I mean.

Khalid didn't know about it. I just told him it hadn't reopened and then I changed the bandages to hide the lie. No one needed to know about this; it would only make me seem stranger than I was already perceived to be.

"Check on Altair, I must make sure Malik's fever has not risen," Khalid instructed. I didn't really mind looking after Altair, but I'd much rather stay with Malik...

"Sure."

Altair as I learned, was an extremely light sleeper. The last time I tried to clean his wound in his sleep, he woke up instantly and tried to impale me.

Two words: Not fun.

"Hey, Altair," I whispered and approached him cautiously. He was awake, as expected, and glared at me from under his hood—which I found quite ridiculous to still be wearing.

"Why are you still here?"

"I'm... useful?"

He snorted.

I frowned. "You don't believe me."

"Not at all."

"Who do you think bandaged your stab wound?"

"..."

"I thought so."

Scoffing, he turned on his side and I heard a satisfying grunt. Serves him right.

"But really, I just want to help. Come on, sit up so I can change your bandages."

He didn't move at all. All the other men did as I said when I told them, with Khalid's back up, that I would be able to help.

"Don't be so stubborn..."

Nothing.

"Please?"

A twitch.

"Oh come on! My little brother is more mature."

He turned over a little this time. Ah... I know what kind of person he is now. I've seen his kind before and know exactly how to deal with it.

"That's right. Even he knows how to follow instructions. And look at you, do you not understand the concept of sitting up?"

I dodged his fist just in time and stumbled back a few steps. I couldn't see his eyes under his hood, but they were probably glaring daggers at me.

"Are you quite done, girl?"

"Not exactly. But hey," I gestured at him, "I got you to sit up."

He paused for a second before realizing I was right. When he lowered his arm, I quickly stepped forward and put a hand on his back to not only support him, but prevent him from laying down again. When I made contact, he jerked away and gave me an odd look. What, does this guy have a human phobia or something?

_Nah... he just has something against girls._

"You have to sit up if I'm to change your bandages, can you manage that?" I asked with snark in my voice.

He growled at me and batted away my arm. I shrugged and held them up defensively, showing him I meant no harm. "You are lucky I have been given direct orders to not kill you. Otherwise—"

"I'd be in pieces at your feet? Yeah, I've heard it all before. Now come on, let's see how that wound is faring."

"Altair, listen to Danielle, she is more knowledgeable than you give her credit for," Khalid called from across the room.

I heard Altair growl under his breath again and mutter something.

But he still made no move to show me the wound.

How had I done it last time?

Oh yes, he had passed out from exhaustion.

"Don't make me knock you out just to change some bandages," I said teasingly. He... took it seriously it seemed.

His expression became feral and I unconsciously stepped back a bit. "Are you challenging me, girl?"

"Eheh," I shook my head, "of course not. I'm a medic, not a fighter, remember?"

He seemed satisfied at my retreat. Well, unlike someone, I don't have an eight foot cement wall of pride.

"So, can I?"

He still seemed extremely uncomfortable at my being here, but removed his shirt and began taking off the dirty bandages. I knew he could change the bandages himself, but he probably couldn't do much about the infection. The dagger Al Mualim used was clean, but it still didn't stop Altair from falling to a fever.

Perhaps that was why he resigned to letting me help him. With a raging fever and stomach wound, not even his eight foot wall could withstand my constant nagging.

I was surprised to find that his wound had not only healed a great amount, but his fever seemed to have gone down too.

_Malik isn't so fortunate. His fever has risen since yesterday... if only I had some anaesthetic at the time._

I worked quickly and made sure to make little to no physical contact, obeying the keep your limbs to yourself rule. The only satisfying part of this job was hearing Altair hiss in pain when I rubbed the ancient antiseptic paste all over his wound.

Yeah, it was fun.

"There, all better," I wiped my hands on a cloth and looked at my handiwork. He was all cleaned up and looked less dead than before. Mission accomplished? I think so. "Now just get some rest."

He didn't need to be told twice and had already laid back down before I finished speaking. Killjoy.

"I'm done, Khalid." I walked over to Malik and with a tired heave, sat down beside him. Khalid walked over carrying another bowl of cold water. "How is he doing?"

"Not good."

"Has his temperature risen again?"

Khalid looked troubled. "It is hard to tell, but he is even less responsive than yesterday."

I looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

He sighed dejectedly. Uh oh, I smell bad news. "Come here, I do not want our conversation to be overheard."

I nodded and followed him to a vacant corner. He looked even more troubled than before.

"Danielle, before I tell you, can you answer me one thing honestly?"

"Sure, I guess..." I replied uneasily.

"What is Malik to you?"

"Huh?" The question caught me off guard. Completely off guard. "To be honest, since I've only known him for like a day, nothing much... but he was the first one to show me any type of kindness, and I really appreciate it. And it may sound crazy, but I feel like we could be good friends."

"Then I'll be completely honest with you." He inhaled, something only a bearer of bad news would do. "Malik is very close to death."

I couldn't remember the last time I cried, but hearing this, I felt tears gathering in the corner of my eyes.

**End of Chapter 5**

Not too much interaction with Altair in this chapter, but plenty more in the next.

Thanks for waiting guys! I really appreciate the faves and reviews. You're awesome. Yes, you, behind the screen.

Anyone else have a long weekend? . 3.


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